How to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport

One of the most frequently asked questions by readers/members of Devil on Wheels Travel community is, “Can I make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport?”. I know budget is an integral part of any trip but it becomes critical when you make a trip to Spiti Valley because of higher number of days required in it. The cost of stay and food increases proportionally to the number of days you have planned your trip. The rates of taxis for Spiti Valley trip are generally Rs 3300-3500 per day and hence, a trip of 10-11 days could easily cost around Rs 35000 just for the taxi. So, a question like, if I can make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport is not surprisingly the top most among the frequently asked questions for a Ladakh trip.

Planning a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport?

In the past, I have written a similar article Chandratal Lake | Cheapest Ways To Travel There and taking cue from the same article I will extend it for whole Spiti Valley circuit. In this article, I will share the tips and tricks with an example itinerary on how you can make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport. I am sure this article will be helpful to all those who are planning a solo trip to Spiti Valley especially by the means of public transport.

Budget trip to Spiti Valley Trip by Public Transport – An example

If you are alone/couple, private taxis could be very costly for you on a trip to Spiti Valley. You will need to spend about 35K just for the private taxi. Unlike Ladakh, you do not find the tourist shared taxi that easily in Spiti Valley. There aren’t much cafes, dine-ins, restaurant or huge number of travel agents that offer means of availing shared taxis. Hence, you are mostly limited to local shared taxis or buses which do not stop for any sightseeing on the way.

I will try to outline an example trip which will be a mix and match approach of using the available public transport as well as shared local taxis/jeeps. Let’s consider our most common itinerary as an example which covers the entire circuit as Delhi – Narkanda – Kalpa/Reckong Peo – Nako – Tabo – Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal – Rohtang Pass – Manali. Now, let’s take a look at this plan day by day including the options of travel on these days, the cost of travel and cost of stay + food (twin sharing basis) at these places. I am assuming you are on a budget trip to Spit Valley and hence, you will be finding the places of stay on the spot and not pre-booking them 😉 😉

Shialkhar Village – Another village with no mobile connectivity on the way to Spiti Valley

Day 1 | Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda

Options of travel: There are 3-4 daily HRTC buses available between Delhi – Shimla – Narkanda which costs around Rs 515 for ordinary bus and about Rs 830 for an AC deluxe bus. These buses depart from Delhi Kashmere Gate ISBT in evening from 6 PM to 10 PM

Cost of travel: Rs 515 by ordinary HRTC bus.

Cost of stay: You will find few budget guest houses or PWD rest house from Rs 600 to 800. So, you can consider Rs 300 – 400 for stay in Narkanda.

Total cost incurred: Rs 515 + Rs 300 – 400 = Rs 815 – 915

Day 2 | Narkanda – Rampur – Sangla / Chitkul (Kinnaur Valley)

Options of travel: There is a daily morning HRTC bus between Shimla – Sangla that leaves Shimla around 7.30 AM and should reach Narkanda about 10 AM. There are other buses too that runs on this route originating from Chandigarh/Delhi as well. The cost is around Rs 250 for the ticket in the ordinary bus.

Cost of travel: Rs 250 by ordinary HRTC bus.

Cost of stay: You will be able find budget guest houses and home stays in Sangla Valley ranging from Rs 600 to 700. So, you can consider Rs 300 – 350 for stay in Sangla Valley.

Day 3 | Sangla – Chitkul – Sangla – Reckong Peo/Kalpa

Options of travel: You can take a morning shared local taxi to Chitkul from Sangla which will take about Rs 40-50 per seat and take the after noon HRTC bus that runs from Chitkul to Reckong Peo which will cost around Rs 100

Day 4 | Reckong Peo/Kalpa – Nako – Nako Lake – Tabo

Options of travel: Everyday at 6.30 AM an HRTC bus leaves from Reckong to Kaza bus. It charges Rs 480 as bus fare from Reckong Peo to Kaza. The bus reaches Nako at around 11.30 AM and generally does lunch. You can walk to the Nako village to visit Nako lake but be sure to be back on time. The bus reaches around 4.00 PM at Tabo village where you can get down and next day take the same bus or shared cabs to reach Kaza.

Cost of travel: About Rs 400 for a drop to Tabo from Reckong Peo by HRTC bus.

Cost of stay: You can easily find a guest house or home stay in Tabo ranging from Rs 400 to 500. So, you can consider Rs 200 – 250 for stay Tabo.

Day 5 | Tabo – Dhankar – Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mud Village)

Options of travel: Now you are left on your own for hitch hikes or shared local jeeps to these villages. They will not cost you more than Rs 100 for both Schichiling/Dhangkar and then further to Pin Valley. You may get a ride for free in tourist vehicles in tourist season.

Cost of travel: Rs 100 in a shared local jeep/taxi or hitch hikes.

Cost of stay: You can easily find a guest house or home stay in Mud Village ranging from Rs 300 to 400. So, you can consider Rs 150 – 200 for stay in Leh.

Day 6 | Pin Valley – Kaza – Ki – Kibber – Kaza

Options of travel: You can take a local shared jeep for Kaza from Pin Valley and pay about Rs 50-60 per seat. Now to visit Ki – Kibber, you have to either get a private taxi (Rs 1200) or rely on hitch hikes or shared jeeps to these places. Again, it will not cost you more than Rs 150 and hitch hikes agains comes for free.

Cost of travel: Rs 150 to travel in local shared jeeps from Pin Valley to Kaza and then to Key – Kibber and back to Kaza.

Cost of stay: You can easily find a guest house or home stay in Kaza ranging from Rs 500 to 600. So, you can consider Rs 250 – 300 for stay in Kaza.

Day 7 | Kaza – Hikkim – Komik – Langza – Kaza / Losar

Options of travel: A private taxi for a trip to Langza – Hikkim – Komic will cost you about Rs 1500 in Kaza. Again hitch hikes and shared jeeps, you will be able to cover these places within Rs 100-150

Day 8 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal – Battal

Options of travel: A daily bus runs from Kaza to Manali at 7 AM and charges about Rs 250. You can buy two tickets for this bus one up to Batal or Chandratal diversion point and another for the next day up to Manali from Batal. Before getting down at Battal, do make sure that you tie up with Conductor of the bus to pick you next morning from the same place or Batal. May be pay a little tip for the same. Seating in this case could be an issue for sure. You can also tie up with some PWD/GREF workers who might be going towards Chandratal Lake from Batal and get a hike from them in their jeep or dozer. You can find them at Battal Dhabha, most likely. Otherwise, you will either have to trek or hitch hike up to Chandratal lake. In tourist season, hitch hike should not be an issue.

Cost of travel: It will cost you about Rs 280 – 300 first to get down from HRTC bus at Batal/Chandratal diversion point on Day 1 from Kaza and then next day continue journey to Manali from Batal in HRTC bus. For hitch hike or lift/drop by GREF guys, consider Rs 100-150 for a return journey to Batal.

Cost of stay: Camps at Chandratal might cost you about Rs 1000-1200 for one person. So, on budget best is to come back and stay at Chandra dhabha or PWD guest house at Batal. It will cost you about Rs 150-200 per person for a stay at Batal.

Day 10 | Manali – Delhi

Options of travel: There are plenty of HRTC/HPTDC buses as ordinary, deluxe, Volvo buses available between Delhi – Manali which you can take as per comfort, convenience and budget. In this example, we will consider ordinary HRTC bus to Delhi from Manali which costs Rs 685.

In this article, you can see that if you wish to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport and plan it properly as described in it, you can easily make your Spiti Valley trip covering Chandratal within a budget of Rs 6930 – 8100.

Cost of food for a 10 day Spiti Valley trip

The food all over Spiti Valley and Kinnaur Valley is quite economic unless you wish to lavishly spend in restaurants and hotels in main towns like Shimla/Manali. If you eat at regular decent dhabas/eating joints where the buses or shared taxis stop for meals, you will not be spending more than Rs 200 – 250 per day on food in Spiti valley or Kinnaur Valley. Taking this into account, the above 10 day trip to Spiti Valley may not cost you more than Rs 2000 – 2500 for the food. Hence, the total cost incurred on your Spiti valley trip comes out to be (Rs 4930 – 5600) + (Rs 2000 – 2500) = Rs 6930 – 8100.

Hence, you can see that if you wish to make a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport and plan it properly as described in the article, you can easily make your Spiti Valley trip covering Chandratal within a budget of Rs 6930 – 8100. If you travel by private taxis within Spiti Valley to cover Ki – Kibber, Langza – Hikkim – Komic you are looking about Rs 2500 more for comfort. It means even with comfort of private taxi within Spiti Valley, this 10 day budget trip to Spiti Valley will cost you less than Rs 9500 (Rs 9430 – 10600 to be specific) 😯 😯 …

Beautiful Colors of Nako Lake in Fall

Solo trip travellers – latest bus timings September 2017

Would like to add some inputs shared by Hariharan in the comments section below which will be useful within Spiti Valley and timings of buses/shared taxis.

shimla to sangla only one bus mostly it will get full by shimla itself
time 650 am shimla -10 am narkanda- 5pm sangla last stop.
from sangla 510 pm bus -rakcham-chitkul 6pm last stop.
from chitkul 3 buses to sangla( 630 am 1330 and 4 pm).1330 pm bus it will go to till reckong peo.
reckong peo to kalpa 40 -50 mins travelling every one hour aprox you will get buses.
from reckong peo -kaza only one bus7am (peo -nako- tabo sumdo-schilling -kaza)
reckong peo -tabo 9am bus (peo -nako-tabo last stop)
reckongpeo -sumdo 12 pm bus (peo-nako-sumdo last stop)—next day it will come aprox 1130 am to tabo then schilling -kaza.
schilling to tabo dhankar 700 per taxi///trek (little difficult)
dhankar to kaza morning 8am -9am u may get shared taxi to kaza.
or come down to schilling to catch bus .
from kaza rent a bike for all the places is the best option 1.kee and kibber (this 2 nearby)
2..komic hikkim and lanza this( 3 nearby)
3.kaza to mud village(pin valley daily one bus around 5 pm)
4 .kaza to manali 4 am bus
5 kaza to manali shared van at 6 am fare 1000 rupees per person

Conclusion

I hope the above article helps you evaluate the cost of travel for your upcoming trip to Spiti valley. This example will also help you fit your own plan to evaluate the budget of the trip and skip the places you are not visiting in Spiti. I hope now you will feel more confident in making a budget trip to Spit Valley by public transport. Feel free to share any tips or updates you may have in the comments section. It will make this article more helpful for the other fellow travellers. Also, do not forget to share this article with your friends or family who are planning a budget trip to Spiti Valley by public transport 🙂 🙂 …

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98 Comments

Comments section gets closed in 90 days. You can follow me on Instagram and ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram too. I also conduct a weekly Q&A session every Saturday evening on Instagram, so see you there !!

Your plan looks good to me. However, by public transport, as you see in the article above, you may need to mix and match the options of shared cabs and the buses. In order to reach Tabo especially, you have to reach before the bus leaves from Reckong Peo to Kaza in the morning at 7 or better after visiting Chitkul go back to Kalpa or Peo to stay.

You can get the bike on rent in Kaza and for Chandratal, you will need to get down from the bus at diversion point or battal and then either hike rest or do hitch hike. With public transport, this plan is neck to neck.

Thank you Dheeraj for your advice. Also, with above plan we’ll reach chandratal on 22nd Sept. Will milky way be visible on this day as, 25th Sept is Full moon day ? I have read in some other blogs that milky way is best seen on new moon day.

I am planning a solo trip to Spiti in the first week of September and thinking about the same route as you suggested. Your blogs are really great and super helpful. I wanted to know if it is possible to reach Tabo in less than 4 days? Are there any night travel options or some places that I can skip and reach faster? What if I miss a bus, are these the only options?

Hey Bro,
Its an Amazing guide for a solo traveller.
I had planned a 10 day iternary for the spiti valley tour and I am not able to decide my stay at either nako or tako.
You have mentioned that the kaza bound bus halts at nako for lunch.
Please can you tell me for how much time does it stops at nako and is that time enough to visit nako lake and return back to bus stop so that i catch bus. ??

Just replied you on the instagram too, you can basically you should stay at Tabo and skip Nako. Unless you get a lift from the helipad dhabha to the lake, you will not be able to make it to the bus back in time. So, better to avoid it and in any case it is more like a pond.

Day No. Date Tour Plan
1 25th March From chandigarhEarly chekout for kalka–6 am train to shimla–reach by 11AM——evening laisure–
2 26th March After breakfast 9AM check out for Sarahan—on the way narkanda—-reach by 2 PM—check in—–Bhimakali darshan—
3 27th March After breakfast 9.30 check out for Sangla—reach by 12.30–
4 28th March After breakfast 9.30 out for Chitkul—Reach by 11AM—
5 29th March After break fast check out for kalpa—reach by 11–
6 30th March After breakfast check out for Nako–reach by 1PM-
7 31st March After breakfast check out for Tabo—
8 1st April After breakfast check out for Kaza—
9 2nd April Kaza sightseen
10 3rd April Back to chandigarh

Hello Dheeraj, First of all thank you for all your valuable information and help provided on this website. I am planning a trip to Spit valley in July. I can leave Dharamsala on July the 12th and have to be in Delhi on the 30th of July. 17 days total. I will be solo travelling on a budget so I will mostly be travelling by public transport when possible. Thanks to your wonderful articles and many answered questions I have drawn so much information for this trip. Excuse me if Have missed this info but I still have some questions and would really value your insight.1. Since I am coming from Dharamsala and will end my trip in Delhi it looks like it will make sense to enter from the Manali side and finish the circuit on the Shimla side. I see on your itineraries that you recommend to go from Manali to Rohtang pass or Kazza in 1 day. This looks like a big gain in altitude in 1 day. I will have over 2 weeks in total and would prefer to limit risks of altitude sickness. Is there some places on the way that would be good to spend the night at lower altitude acclimatise more slowly?2. I will be travelling mid to late July, I am aware of the monsoon season, will it still be OK and safe to travel Spiti valley by public transport and shared jeeps at this time? I assume that I can expect delays? I will have more then 2 weeks, will this be OK? What to expect in terms of Monsoon? Should I expect lots of rain, every day? Is it right that the higher mountains might miss the monsoon? Which area would this be?

Thank you for the warm words of appreciation, am glad this website is useful to you.

1. Yes, it makes sense for you to start from Manali but again since you have more days and should not want to risk the altitude, better start from Shimla side only as it might cost you an extra day. Either you can take Dharamshala to Shimla or break the journey at Mandi and then start from Shimla – Kinnaur – Spiti and end at Manali. AMS is something I will suggest to avoid.

2. It shall be fine to travel spiti in mid July as mostly we see late monsoons now but again this is something no one can guarantee. You have 17 days, easily you can adjust the schedule accordingly.

Once you reach around Nako in Kinnaur Valley, you will enter rain shadow region, so not much to worry about until you reach Manali – Mandi back again.

If I would have the option of changing my itinerary so that I will be travelling Spiti Valley the first 2 weeks of July rather then the last 2 weeks of July. Would you recommend this? Of course we can’t forecast the weather but is it more likely that the monsoon won’t be starting until later in July, is that correct?

In terms of packing, I assume weather conditions will get pretty cold high up in the mountains? So I should prepare and pack warm clothes for this? Would shoes be advisable of good trekking sandals with thick woollen socks would be fine? (just thinking out loud, lots of rain, wet socks is not that great) Once again. Many thanks and all the best.
Marielle

Yes, Marielle, I will say that is also fine. It all depends upon weather, sometimes early July is pre-monsoon showers too but still better. Late – July and August are when the monsoon, in general, starts now. It will not be pretty cold, mostly pleasant with overcast days being cold. So, I will surely recommend a fleece and a woolen jacket so that layers can be adjusted accordingly. I will definitely recommend shoes due to many other advantages of protecting the feet from other injuries. So, carry shoes and couple of pair of warm clothes, fleece and a jacket to change the layers. You may not use the jacket at all but if it gets overcast, you will thank yourself for carrying it 🙂

Good morning my friend, thank you for all the info and I’m terribly sorry for all the questions. I’m currently in Dharamshala, I’m due to start a 10day meditation retreat tomorrow and planning to travel to Spiti once I have finished this retreat. My preference would be to do this but since the monsoon hasn’t started yet I’m wondering if instead of traveling to Spiti in 2 weeks I should be traveling to Spiti in the next few days if this means much better chance for less rain. I’m aware that there is the rain shadow area (Nako-Manali) but
From Shimla to Nako is almost half of the trip and I don’t know if this could be heavily affected by the monsoon? Sorry to ask you again, but wondering if you could let me know your thoughts on it, since it’s closer to the time and you might have a better idea if it’s going to make much difference to change my plans? Once again sorry for the questions, it’s just that I’m so unfamiliar with the monsoon and don’t have a lot of time in India and would love to make the most of it. Many thanks for your help and patience, and have a great day

Namaste Dheeraj,
I was reading your articles with a lot of interest.
I’m Bart from Belgium and would like to go to Spiti Valley ,leaving Delhi on the 11th pf october.
I would go with Indian friends.
So if i read all of the articles,it would be better to travel from Peo then from Manali at that time of year.
I ll need a special permit as a foreigner to cross the road from Peo to Kaza.
So,i have some questions:
1.Where can i get this permit?(I guess in Peo)
2.What would be the easiest way to go from Delhi to Kaza?(we would like to do it in 2days,prefer public transport,shared jeeps)
3.We would like to do a hike for 5days in Spiti.(i was thinking Kaza-Kibber-Langza-Dhankar-Tabo-Kaza…or something like this…just visiting some of the beautiful villages)So if u would have a itinerary for 5days….that would be great.

After visiting Spiti we would go to Dharamsala…When roads are open maybe via Manali….otherwise another road…..

Since, you are traveling mid-October, types, I will recommend going from Manali side and coming from Shimla side. This way you will cover the cold and troublesome Manali – Kaza road early and less risk of finding it closed due to snowfall. Though it does not close completely during that time but it can get closed for a couple of days. In Kaza, you can get the permits done for yourself from DC office in Kaza. The process is fairly simple.

Delhi – Manali by Volvo, Manali – Kaza by shared jeep OR daily bus.

You have 5 days only within Spiti Valley or you want to do the total trip in 5 days?

i have been planning a trip from delhi to manali via kaza – kunjum pass etc.but could not find any buddy as company .if anybody get interested to acompany most welcome.
i have visited chhitul and pio last year.

I have a question regarding the Day 8 | Kaza – Kunzum Pass – Chandratal – Battal.
I am traveling there at the end of September.
1. How long does take to get to Chandratal diversion by the bus from Kaza?
2. You advised to agree with the bus conductor to pick me up the next day. Does it mean that the bus normally does not stop at Batal, unless there is an agreement with the conductor? I would guess there should be a regular bus stop at Batal…
3. Is it possible to hire a taxi from the lake/Batal to Manali? What is the approximate cost?
3.1. What about a taxi from the lake to Batal?
4. Are the PWD/GREF workers going to Chandratal lake from Batal every day? What is the usual time for them to go to the lake(I am thinking if it makes sense to travel to Batal and rely on them instead of taking a chance with hitchhiking from the diversion)? Do you know if there are a lot of tourists going to the lake at the end of September?
5. I’ve read that it’s worth staying the night at the lake. Considering your experience and that the nearest camp is 3 km away from the lake, would be ok to hike back to the camp after dark in that area?
6. Would you recommend to pre-book a place in a camp? Which one would you recommend personally(perhaps mentioning your name gives a discount ;))?

1. About 3 Hrs it will take for bus to reach diversion point of Chandratal from Kaza
2. Well, I think it is a stop for tea but not 100% sure as if the bus stopped at Losar for tea, then Battal could be skipped.
3. No, it is not possible to hire a taxi. If you are lucky you may get to hitch hike or share taxi cost with other people traveling back.
4. No Gref workers are not that frequent. Hitchhiking is only possible with tourists taxis or personal cars.
5. Nearest camp is about 1.2 KMs away, easily walkable. Spending night helps you reach Chandratal in morning at the time of reflections.
6. No, best will be to land there and go about booking on spot.

Thank you very much for the replay, Dheeraj.
I understand the same Conductor travels in this bus every day from Kaza? Could you please let me know what is the appropriate amount to tip him so that he won’t forget to pick me up at diversion point of Chandratal/Batal the next day?

W e are a group of 3 people. We have a plan for visiting SHIMLA,MANALI,DHARAMSHALA and Spiti between 25th to 30th september (including the dates).
Can you please guide on travel means of public transport and travel duration

Yes Jay, there is a daily bus service from Kullu – Manali to Kaza that starts around 4.45-5.00 AM from Manali. In 4 days it may not be that worth but well, if they are from Manali then two days of travel and two days in Kaza.

Thank you Aparna ji, well, it shall be fine to travel but the roads are not that comfortable in Kinnaur and Spiti and long journey does give fatigue to the body. Try to be slow, carry all the day to medications if any with you. Rest AMS does not matter for any age or sex, it is mainly the fatigue that will count. Go from Kinnaur Valley and come back from MAnali side.

Hi Dheeraj can I get share taxi from Shimla to Sarahan and so on upto Tabo , Kaza. I contacted a driver name as Raj Kumar in your blog list of some good drivers to Kinnaur and Spiti who drives a ALTO but he charges me a lot he said for 6 days he demands 25000/- while I am getting Innova for 315000/- but unfortunately my freiend will leave me at Shimla that’s why I want to book share taxi or Alto but in reasonable rate.

It is difficult to get shared taxis on that route with tourists. You will get local taxis but you need to break the trip like Shimla to Reckong Peo or Rampur and then Rampur to reckong Peo. You will get buses as well between these routes and shared taxis also run from Reckong Peo to Kaza. Please read the article above.

Hello Dheeraj.
We are five people planning to do the Spiti village homestay trek in early September, that includes nightstay at Langza, Komik, Demul, Lahlung and Dhankar respectively. I have the following queries:

* How to reach Kaza from Manali through public transport and vice versa.

Kiran, mostly you will have to rely on shared local jeeps or hitchhikes or lifts from fellow travelers. Some pointers I shared with others

Tabo to Dhangkar: You need to get a shared jeep o Schichiling, get down and hike a bit towards Dhagkar monastery. Hitch hike or get shared jeep going to Dhangkar. Otherwise, check in Tabo in case there is directly shared jeep going to Dhangkar in morning.Dhangkar – Pin Valley: Again you have to come down from Dhangkar by some shared jeep going to Kaza. Get down at Attargoo and wait on the bridge for the vehicles going into Pin Valley. Hitchhike or get shared taxis going in.Langza – Komic – Hikkim: You are easily going to find shared taxis going to Kibber and Langza from Kaza. Komik, Hikkim you might need to rely on treks or luck or hitchhikes. Enquire about them once in Kaza.

Well, mid June to mid July is good time to travel the road of Spiti Valley. It is fine to travel with kids as long as you are not rushing it and keeping care of enough hydration and rest.You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Spiti Valley followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 10-11 days: Most Common Itinerary for Spiti Valley.

You can get connected directly to some drivers in Himachal or Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of the pickup as well.

The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3200-3500 per day depending on the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price. If you are 2-3 in the group, you can opt for sedan taxi cars as well which charges around Rs 2200 per day.

Otherwise, taxis, in general, are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands. These drivers can help you with finding local stay options too.

Thanks for the Absolute detailed blog on travel by public transport to Spiti Valley.
I am planning to visit spiti in August 5- 15 along with 2 of my friends including one lady. I have few questions if you could kindly answer them:
1. Are those busses from HRTC be crowded? and do i need to reserve my seats in advance (i would hate to do that) (August 2nd week)?
2. The busses will be day busses or night busses (which one is preferable)
3. Is August a perfect time to Visit Spiti and any idea whats the weather is going to be? (I have never been to snow mountains before).
4. Is there any problems in getting seats in those HRTC busses, because we will be 3 people so each time while changing bus we would need 3 seats (will it be crowded).
5. And please suggest any must visit food joints and places in Kaza and Sangla.

Replies below:
1. Well, they are very much like any local transport bus. If you board first, you have the ticket, you get the seat.
2. I have given the details mostly above for timings too. Rest you can refer the HRTC buses for other options.
3. Well, you will need to go through the hassles of monsoon in lower hills especially till the time you reach Nako and beyond. August is monsoon and not a good time due to frequent landslides.
4. Yes, you have onboard first to get the seats
5. Mostly food will be available in hotels but there will be some shacks/dhabhas or couple of basic eating places in main market. Nothing worthnoting.

Hello Dheeraj,
Thank you very much for the tons of great information and tips. I am reading your articles and planning a trip to Spiti valley by public transport in the mid-to-end of September. I will be following the common itinerary suggested on your website.
I would like to clarify a few points.

1. While travelling on the Hindustan-Tibet highway, what side of the bus is it better to sit in order to enjoy the best views? Is it on the left side or the right side (driver side)? Here I assume that we will travel via many “balcony roads” that are carved into the mountainside with a beautiful view of valleys below on the other side.
Perhaps the best sitting position would be different between these major points Reckong Peo – Tabo – Kaza – Battal – Manalli?

2. Could you please kindly let me know what is the availability of shared cars/jeeps between Tabo and Dhankar /Dhankar Lake – Pin Valley (Mud Village) – Kaza? Do they have some kind of generic schedule may be? If I arrive at Tabo at around 16:00 by HRTC bus, will it possible to see the main things in the same day and leave for the Mad village the next day?

1. You should sit on the left-hand side as most of the valley runs on the left side througout the road. As you travel from Shimla towards Kaza and Manali, majority it is left side only. Kaza to Kunzum Pass, I will say right side but then again once you reach Battal to Grmphu it should be left side. I am not sure if you will be allowed to move around that much but sitting on left you will cover almost 75% of the views on entire stretch.

2. I am not sure about if there is a daily schedule but most of the times shared taxis can be found running on these route. You will have to wait a bit but you mostly get it. You may need to change taxis a bit. Like

– For Tabo to Dhangkar, You need to get a shared jeep o Schichiling, get down and hike a bit towards Dhagkar monastery road. Hitch hike or get shared jeep going to Dhangkar from that road. Otherwise, check in Tabo in case there is directly shared jeep going to Dhangkar in morning.

– For Dhangkar to Pin Valley, again you have to come down from Dhangkar by some shared jeep going to Kaza. Get down at Attargoo and wait on the bridge for the vehicles going into Pin Valley. Hitchhike or get shared taxis going in.

– Around Kaza, You are easily going to find shared taxis going to Kibber and Langza from Kaza. Komik, Hikkim you might need to rely on treks or luck or hitchhikes. Enquire about them once in Kaza.

So I am ready to hop in to my solo trip to spiti in mid June, your article was a great help .. what I just wanted to know is that, is it feasible to take a hault at each place for a day like be it a tapo ki kibber lahaul and so on so forth u r aware of. Is it a better option.. or following your itinerary will give me enough time to stop watch inhale beauty and move on. I just wonder :/

Sunaina, each day above helps you get an idea that you will get the same bus/shared taxi every day at the same time or around same time. So, even if you wish to stay one day extra at each of these places, that should be easily adjusting too. Also, once you reach Kaza, I will recommend taking the shared taxi to Kibber and then start your village treks to Lagza, next day Langza to Komic, next day Komic to Hikkim and down back to KAza depending upon days you have in hand.

This is the most amazing detailed blog i have read about SPITI valley by public transport. Me (21 years old) along with my brother (18 years old) from MUMBAI are planning a BUDGET trip to spiti valley during the last week of JUNE. We two have done trips to Sikkim and Dharamsala last year.
Taking help of your blog i hav made the following itinerary
Day 1: Mumbai to Chandigarh train
Day 2: reach chandigarhin evening. Same day bus to Recong peo
Day 3: Recong peo to kalpa. Stay in Kalpa
Day 4: Kalpa to Tabo ( if possible we will extend one day by staying in pin valley)
Day 5: Tabo to Kaza. Stay in Kaza
Day 6: Kaza to Kye kibber and back
Day 7: Kaza to Manali. Stay in Manali
Day 8: Manali to Delhi
Day 9: Delhi to Mumbai train

I have few questions regarding the same are as follows:
1. We are planning to get down at Chandigarh. Are there any direct buses from Chandigarh to Recong Peo and what are its timing? also what is the cost?
2. What is the frequency of bus from recong peo to kalpa?
3. As u have mentioned that there is a bus to kaza from peo at 06.30am. Will we be able to get the bus from kalpa to peo then to kaza the same day we are leaving kalpa.
4. Can you suggest any homestay or budget stay in Kalpa, Tabo, Mud village and Kaza. Any contact no. can u provide?
5. We are planning to do Cycling from Kaza to Kibber. Will we be able to complete the journey in single day?
Do you recommend to do so?
6. Will the Bus from Kaza to Manali be operational during the time we are going to visit?
7. Any suggestion you would like to give us to make our journey successful and in budget?

1. Yes, please check HRTC calendar there is a daily night bus from CHD to Reckong peo
2. You will easily get it either bus or shared jeep in no more than an hour
3. Hmm, that might be a challenge but you can surely confirm and request for a drop by your guest house. Buy the ticket a day before
4. Rakpa Regency is good option
5. Yeah in case you are fit enough 🙂
6. Most likely yes, Manali – Kaza bus will be running in June end.

can i make the spiti valley trip on june this year,and i saw your itinerary it was quite helpful for me but i am little bit confused about the budget hotel in the spiti valley can you share the hotels details

You can get connected directly to some drivers in Spiti Valley or Kinnaur Valley at the link: List of Taxi Drivers for Spiti Valley & Kinnaur Valley. These drivers can come and pick you up from Manali / Shimla / Delhi / Chandigarh too, of course with a price of pickup as well.

The rates of the taxis are about Rs 3000-3500 per day depending upon the number of days you plan to travel, more the days, less the price.

Otherwise, taxis in general are also available on the spot from Shimla or Manali from respective taxi stands

Hello Dheeraj,
I am from Trivandrum,Kerala. My team of 6 members are planning to visit Spiti Valley on this March. We are planning to reach Shimla on March 4. What will be the climate? and Is on that time is road through Reckong-peo is open? Please reply

1. Since, you have not many days, I will recommend to keep the trip focuses just for Spiti valley. It will be a bit hectic though.
2. This is also a good option and less hectic in terms of travel I will say. Also, it will be less forgiving as March end April means still winters and struggle in Spiti Valley.

For the second option, if you rent a bike from base place like Chandigarh, it makes sense but going to Kinnaur from there on Manali rented bike does not make sense. So, either do Manali – Kasol and around Parvati Valley on Manali rented bike and go over to Kinnaur on public transport OR else do all by public transport.

Your blog always helps, one question, I will take the 6:30 PM bus from Shimla to Reckong, what time will I reach Reckong and whether I will be able to take the early morning bus from Reckong to Kaza without missing it? Also, what time will I reach Kaza? I do not want to stay in Reckong.

It will take about9 Hrs to reach Reckong peo. Are you sure there is a bus that runs in the evening though I may be mistaken, I know there is one bus that runs in the morning. Also, even the Chandigarh bas starts at 8.30 PM I think from Chandigarh.

In case you are planning to hop to Kaza bus after Reckong peoo without even staying at Reckong Peo, it may cause serious AMS issues depending upon various factors. It is highly not recommended to travel to Kaza without stopover somewhere in the middle in Kinnaur without acclimatization.

First of all thank you for your valuable inputs to guide us in Spiti valley and other Himalayan tours.
I’ve just gone through your feedbacks at (https://devilonwheels.com/budget-trip-to-spiti-valley-public-transport/), actually I’m planning to visit there along with my wife, so this will definitely help us a lot.
Can you please help us by sharing few budget guest houses or PWD rest house contact details in Narkanda, Sangla/Chitkul, Reckong Peo/Kalpa, Tabo , Kaza, Chandratal etc?
How can I get the local shared Jeep and book HRTC bus? will it be online or on the spot booking?
As well as the home stay cost is included with food?

Thanks a lot again for the guidelines you have shared.
Regards,
Pralay

Thank you for the appreciation and glad DoW was helpful in your Ladakh trip 🙂 🙂 . There is more pleasure in spreading smiles in Himalayas than anything else I can do with my skills. So trying my best to get as much of it as possible 🙂 🙂 …

Coming back to your question, well, with 2 year old it will be a bit tricky to the places like Spiti Valley as it will be more taxing on the body too. Considering if you are not so keen on visiting high altitude places, Sikkim will be favourable bet than Spiti or otherwise even limiting the trip to Kinnaur Valley shall also be OK as it does not involve so high altitude places except Chitkul which can always be done as a day trip. On which one you are more inclined?

Well then I would like to go with Sikkim Darjeeling. The places that m interested in are Darjeeling, Gangtok, pelling, lachung and lachen if possible. Please suggest an itinerary. I want this one to be completely close to nature, little relaxing too cuz with kid, and little budget friendly :)) .. Sorry if m asking for too much !! Thanks

Dear Dheeraj Ji
I am regular visitor to your website. Appreciate your writing about travelling to Leh area.
I intend to visit Leh between June, 2017 to July, 2017 by a bike from Jalandhar (Punjab) and Back
for a period of upto 13-14 days. I will prefer relaxed schedule and company of some experinced Rider.
I Had already visited Srinagar & Gulmarg by Bus & Taxi. I want to know a few things.
May please help with followings :

(1) Best time to visit Leh on bike from Jalandhar to Leh & Back during Jun-Jul Last,2017 ?
(2) Best Touring circuit from Jalandhar to Leh and Back on a bike.
(2) Which are preferred location for Economical stay at night during this whole Journey ?
(3) May please advise best scenic places of Tourist’s interest from Jalandhar to Leh & back.
(6) Pre-cautions to be taken ( like Quantity of Petrol for emergency conditions and path to be avoided etc.) for bike journey.
(7) Brief of essential( eatables and Medicines) / life saving items for this tour.
(8) Are Special riding clothes necessary for biking ?
(9) Any other advice you may deem fit for this tour.

1. Make the trip towards end of June or early July
2. You can check a very balanced and most common itinerary for Leh – Ladakh followed by many travellers including me at the link here for 13-14 days: Most Common Itinerary for Leh – Ladakh.
3. You can check the nice, preferred list of accommodation options in entire Leh – Ladakh (Leh, Nubra Valley, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri) including moderate (cheap budget hotels as well) in the series of articles starting on the link here
4. Check the list of things to carry for Leh – Ladakh or other trip including basic medical kit, clothing, must haves etc. at the link here: List of Things to Carry for Leh – Ladakh trip.

I will suggest that you go through the articles mentioned under the DoW Community thread for bike trip to Ladakh or any other part of Himalayas at the link: All About Bike Ride to Ladakh & Himalayas. This will help you cover almost all your queries related to bike trip to Ladakh or Himalayas.

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